Jack block



Jan. 23, 1968 o, CORNELIUSYEN JACK BLOCK Filed July 1, 1966 IN V EN TOR.

ZEOA/AQD wa/wzw United States Patent 3,365,159 JACK BLOCK Leonard O.Corneiiusen, Prairie Industries, Inc., Terry, Mont. 59349 Filed July 1,1966, Ser. No. 562,181 Claims. (Cl. 248-346) This invention relates to ablock for supporting hydraulic and mechanical lifting jacks at differentlevels above the surface upon which the jacks are normally placed.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a unitary,eflicient, and easily used device of the kind indicated, the use ofwhich eliminates the need for and the inefficient and sometimesdangerous use of one or more makeshift or other blocks, piled up on theground, upon which jacks are commonly placed, so that the jacks may havethe desired heights of vertical reach, for the jobs at hand, above theirnormal vertical reach when placed on the ground or other surface.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a device of thecharacter indicated above, which is easily portable and transportable,and can be used to support objects elevated above their normalpositions, as by means of jacks; and which can be used to hold a jackwhen not in use.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a device of thecharacter indicated above, which has a wide flat base, having aground-engaging surface of several times the areas of the bases ofhydraulic or mechanical jacks, with which the device is adapted to beused, whereby sinking into the earth or into paved surfaces, such asasphalt, is eliminated, both when the jacks are used with the device, atground level, and when the jacks are installed on the device at higherlevels.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a device ofthe character indicated above, having a plurality of vertically spacedsteps, and having a combnation carrying handle and jack support, whichis adapted to be applied to the device at the dilferent levels of thesteps on which a jack may be placed on the device, which serves tosupport the device in conjunction with the selected step; and whichserves as a handle for carrying the device from place to place.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic perspective view of a device of the invention,showing a jack, in phantom lines, installed thereon;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical transverse section, taken on the line 22 ofFIGURE 1, showing, in full and in phantom lines, adjusted positions ofthe combination handle and jack support;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal section, taken on the line 44 of FIGURE 1; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view, on a reduced scale, showing a jackinstalled in the device, to provide a compact unit for carrying andstorage.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the illustrated device comprises asubstantially square fiat base plate 12, along opposite sides of whichlies perpendicular parallel spaced side plates 14, which are spacedinwardly, at equal distances from said sides. The side plates 14 arepreferably of vertically elongated rectangular shape, and are parallelspaced from the remaining sides of the base plate 12. The base plate 12has a ground-engaging area several times that of the base 16 of ahydraulic lifting jack J, the base being of a dimension to fit betweenthe side plates 14. Reinforcing triangular gusset plates are fixed tothe side plates 14 and the base plate 12, outside of the side plates.The side plates 14 are shorter than the height of any jack I for whichuse of the device 10 is intended.

3,365,159 Patented Jan. 23, 1968 Jack-supporting steps 18, herein shownas being three in number, extend between and are fixed to the sideplates 14, and are preferably positioned at equally spaced intervals,above the base plate 12, and above each other, with the top step 18spaced downwardly from the upper edges 20 of the side plates 14. Asshown in FIGURE 3, the steps 18 reach forwardly from the rear edges 22,of the side plates 14, and terminate in abbreviated forward edges 24,which are spaced rearwardly from the forward edges 26, of the sideplates. The steps 18 are formed in their forward edges with similar andregistered, relatively Wide and deep notches 28. The notches 28preferably have rearwardly converging side edges 30, which, at theirrear ends, merge into the ends of an arcuate concave rear edge 32. Thenotches 28 expose the central area of the base plate 12.

At locations between the forward edges of the several steps 18, and theforward edges of the side plates 14, the side plates are formed withhorizontally aligned round holes 34, the tops of which are on the samelevel as the upper surfaces of the steps 18. A combination handle andjack support unit 36 has a horizontal support bar 38, longer than thedistance across the side plates 14, which merges, at one end thereof, asindicated at 40, into a shorter lateral bar 42, which, at its outer end,merges, as indicated at 44, into the adjacent end of a handle bar 46,which parallels the support bar 38. The handle bar 46 is long enough toreach across the side plate 14, and merges, at the end thereof remotefrom the lateral bar 42, as indicated at 48, into a short stop terminal50, which parallels the lateral bar 42, and extends toward the supportbar 38. The support bar 38 is designed to be extended through holes 34,of the side plates 14, related to the various steps 18, and the stopterminal 50 engaged with the outer side of the related side plate 14, sothat the unit 36 is positively held in place.

In use and operation, when it is desired to compactly combine the device10 and a jack J, or to use the device, with the associated jack J, atground level, the jack is simply installed with its base 16 resting uponthe base plate 12, of the device, with the body of the jack risingthrough the notches 28 of the overlying steps 18 to a level about theupper ends of the side plates 14 of the device. As shown in FIGURE 4,the combined jack J and device 10, can be easily carried about byinstalling the support bar 38 of the unit 36 through upper holes 34, andswinging the unit 36 upwardly, so as to position the handle bar 46 forcarrying the combined jack and device.

Where a jack J is to be supported on a step 18, above the base plate 12of the device, the support bar 38, of the unit 36, is passed through theside plate holes 34, related to the selected step 18, as shown in FIGURE2, whereupon the base 16 of the jack is rested upon the selected stepand upon the support bar 38, the unit first having been allowed to fallto a position in which the handle bar 46 rests against the forward edges26 of the side plates 14, and the stop terminal 50 is engaged with theouter surface of the related side plate. Because of the location andarrangement of the stop terminal 50 and the lateral bar 42, relative tothe side plates 14 of the device, the unit 36 cannot shift, under severeservice conditions, in a manner to permit of dislocation of the supportbar 38 and toppling of the jack I out of position on the device.

What is claimed is:

1. A jack block comprising a base plate larger in area than the base ofa jack, a pair of vertical side plates fixed to and upstanding on saidbase plate, the side plates being spaced from each other to accept thebase of a jack therebetween, at least one step extending between andfixed to said side plates and spaced above the base plate, said stepbeing formed with a notch opening to one edge thereof dimensioned topass the body of a jack resting =3 upon the base plate, and support barmeans supportably associated with and extending between the side plates,said support bar means being located on a level with a step andpositioned across the notch thereof and spaced from said one edge of thestep.

2. A jack block comprising a base plate larger in area than the base ofa jack, a pair of vertical side plates fixed to and upstanding on thebase plate, said side plates being spaced to receive the base of a jacktherebetween, said side plates being shorter than the height of the bodyof a jack, said side plates having upper edges and first and secondvertical edges, a plurality of steps extending between and fixed to theside plates, said steps being vertically spaced from the base plate andfrom each other and from the upper edges of the side plates, said stepshaving second edges spaced from the second vertical edges of the sideplates, said plates being formed with horizontally aligned holes, saidholes being severally related to the steps, and a removable support barselectively engageable through aligned holes, the top of the support barbeing on a level with the upper surface of a related step.

3. A jack block according to claim 2, wherein the second edges of thesteps are formed with notches adapted to pass the body of a jack.

4. A jack block according to claim 2, wherein the second edges of thesteps are formed with notches adapted to pass the body of a jack, saidsupport bar being a component of a combination handle and support bar,said unit comprising said support bar, a lateral bar on one end of thesupport bar, a handle bar spaced parallel from the support bar, saidhandle bar being on the end of the lateral bar remote from the supportbar, the support bar and the handle bar being longer than the distanceacross the side plates, said handle bar terminating in a lateral stopterminal, the said terminal and said lateral bar being located outwardlyof the related side plates.

5. A jack block according to claim 2, wherein the second edges of thesteps are formed with notches adapted to pass the body of a jack, saidsupport bar being a component of a combination handle and support bar,said unit comprising said support bar, a lateral bar on one end of thesupport bar, a handle bar spaced parallel from the support bar, saidhandle bar being on the end of the lateral bar remote from the supportbar, the support bar and the handle bar being longer than the distanceacross the side plates, said handle bar terminating in the lateral stopterminal, the said terminal and said lateral bar being located outwardlyof the related side plates, said lateral bar being dimensioned so thatsaid handle bar rests gravitationally against the second vertical edgesof the side plates while the support bar is engaged through side plateholes related to a step and the stop terminal is engaged with the outerside of a related side plate, the

said unit being adapted to be swung upwardly to position the handle barabove the support bar for carrying the block.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,051,144 1/1913 Manny 254134X1,064,538 6/1913 Quickel et a1 254134 X 1,513,334 10/1924 Maino 254-1 X1,521,764 1/1925 Graver 248346 X JOHN PETO, Primary Examiner.

FRANK DOMOTOR, Assistant Examiner.

1. A JACK BLOCK COMPRISING A BASE PLATE LARGER IN AREA THAN THE BASE OFA JACK, A PAIR OF VERTICAL SIDE PLATES FIXED TO AND UPSTANDING ON SAIDBASE PLATE, THE SIDE PLATES BEING SPACED FROM EACH OTHER TO ACCEPT THEBASE OF A JACK THEREBETWEEN, AT LEAST ONE STEP EXTENDING BETWEEN ANDFIXED TO SAID SIDE PLATES AND SPACED ABOVE THE BASE PLATE, SAID STEPBEING FORMED WITH A NOTCH OPENING TO ONE EDGE THERE OF DIMENSIONED TOPASS THE BODY OF A JACK RESTING UPON THE BASE PLATE, AND SUPPORT BARMEANS SUPPORTABLY ASSOCIATED WITH AND EXTENDING BETWEEN THE SIDE PLATES,SAID SUPPORT BAR MEANS BEING LOCATED ON A LEVEL WITH A STEP ANDPOSITIONED ACROSS THE NOTCH THEREOF AND SPACED FROM SAID ONE EDGE OF THESTEP.